Homel human rights defenders Maryia
Klimovich and Ales Yauseyenka submitted another appeal to the
Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Police Department of Homel
Region Executive Committee. This one is dated to the Police Day,
marked on 4 March.

The human rights defenders congratulate
the police on their holiday and remind that a real policeman is a
selfless man who struggles against evil, sometimes risking his life,
and has no right to show a biased attitude towards citizens.

The
human rights defenders remind that the Belarusian police had been
established back in the days when internationalism was a part of the
state policy. The duty of the police is to protect all law-abiding
citizens from criminals, irrespective of nationality. A contemporary
policeman must also remember the representatives of all nations and
ethnic groups have equal rights in Belarus, including the Roma, about
whom a considerable part of representatives of the titular nation
allows insulting remarks.

"In fact, the Roma aren't a
"nation of thieves and swindlers". They have their flag and
anthem, civil organizations, websites and printed editions, musical
collectives and national theater. The Roma have all reasons to be
proud of professor Voldemar Kalinin, translator of classical poetry
and Biblical texts Viktor Shapovalov, numerous poets and cultural
workers. At the same time, it's worth noting that there are many
under-educated people among representatives of the Romani diaspora.
We have information about the cases when uneducated Roma received
moral harm because duty officials didn't explain the legislation to
them well enough," write the human rights defenders.

Ales
Yauseyenka and Maryna Klimovich urge the police not to forget about
the presumption of innocence: not every Roma has committed a crime,
but almost of all of them have suffered from national
discrimination.